The Skin is Not Their Own
by skrall107
Summary: [Omniverse Installment] Shapeshifters are in the mystery shack, and a stranger is hunting them, but who are they hiding as?
1. The Stranger

**This is an installment in the Omniverse. The Omniverse is a linked world of fanfic stories. All Omniverse stories are marked in the description as [Omniverse Installment] or [Omniverse one shot]. I release them in chronological order, so for the full list, you can just go to my full story list. This story takes place in the year 1999.**

 **Also, before this story begins, I'd like a bit of confusion before it arises. In the Omniverse timeline, the full events of Gravity Falls Seasons 1 and 2 take place before this story, the only changes being made is to the technology. So really, just no smartphones. This is, after all, a linked universe of stories, and this story, any story really, is just a small part of a larger timeline, and everything needs to fit together on a linear timeline without any problems.**

 **Now that I'm done word-vomiting, let the story begin!**

 **Today had been a slow day at the mystery shack. Stanford and Stanley Pines had not yet returned from their boat voyage, so Soos, Melody, and Wendy had been running the mystery shack. There we're about ten people visiting, and, as has been usually happening on Mondays, the Northwests were trying to "invest" in the mystery shack. "hey Wendy, did you see this thing in the newspaper this morning?" Soos asked.**

 **"no, I don't really read the paper" Wendy replied.**

 **"oh, well apparently a year ago today, some teenagers went on vacation in a cabin down in Tennessee, and one of them went mad and chopped the others up with an ax. They call him the 'Tennessee Killer"**

 **"huh" Wendy said, as if to say "interesting", but was to distracted by her magazine to actually respond with words.**

 **A man walk into the building. He was wearing a red long sleeved button-up shirt, brown jeans, and work boots with some of the steel exposed in the toe. But the ting that caught everyone's attention was the fact his right hand was missing. He walked over to the check out where Wendy was sitting and rested his stump on the counter. He leaned in close and in a hushed tone said "has anyone around here been acting unusually aggressive?"**

 **Before Wendy could respond, they were distracted by a couple of guests at the other end of the shack. "Don't touch my son again"**

 **the man who was getting yelled at let out a demonic screech, baring his large, sharp teeth. The one handed man ran out of the building. "come back and help us, you coward! You were the one asking about this!"**

 **the creature threw the woman who was yelling at it across the room. She landed on the pot card rack. The man returned, holing a Grey duffle bag and a double barrel shotgun with the barrels shortened. "why don't you pick on someone your own size" he said, taunting the monster.**

 **It charged at him, attempting to bite into him. He shot it in the chest twice, causing green blood to leak out of it. The man reloaded his gun and aimed it at the creature's face. "this is gonna hurt" he said. The creature screamed at him. He fired both rounds of his shotgun, causing the creature's head to explode. He blew the smoke away from the barrels, which made a ringing noise as his breath resonated inside the barrels. " who even are you?" one of the visitors asked.**

 **"I'm James Holt, and right now, your greatest hope for survival"**


	2. The Attic

"I'm a demon hunter. I've been tracking these things for a couple days now, but there are still three more of those things left, and their in this building" James explained. He had briefing everyone on the situation.

"then we're leaving. I'm not going to put my family in danger" said Preston Northwest exclaimed.

"who put you in charge?" James said, belittling his authority.

"well, the Northwest's were one of the most powerful families in Gravity Falls" gloated Preston

James chuckled. "well hello mister fancypants!" he said sarcastically "your not leading but two things right now: Jack and shit! And jack left town"

"well, I'm a better choice than some teen-aged thrill seeking demon hunter! And really, are all demon hunters such loud-mouthed braggarts?"

"Nope. Just me, buddy. Just me. Besides, what if, when you get home, your family isn't your family" he said cryptically

Northwest remained silent, seeing the logic in his statement "anywho, you in the green flannel" James said, pointing at Wendy "what's your name"

"Wendy" she said, curios about what he's asking for.

"stick with me. I'm gonna look around in the other rooms. Check for any clues as to where they are or who their hiding as" he said, waving her forward.

She inquisitively followed, not sure why he chose to have someone with him. "so, why do you need me?" she asked

"well, I need someone who knows their way around, and if we're attacked, someone who can warn the others. Now, where should we look first?" he said, rubbing the c shaped scar on his chin.

"we should start upstairs and work our way down"

the two started up the stairs. "can they turn into inanimate objects like lamps or couches?" Wendy asked.

"not that I've seen. I think that what they turn into is reacquired to have flesh and blood"

As the got upstairs, the both started looking for anything that could help. Wendy looked under the two beds. James checked the closet. "hey, I think I found someone's personal belonging" he said.

"what is it?"

James pulled a severed head out of the closet. "i think whoever owned this might be looking for it"

"hey, I recognize him from downstairs. Guy in the blue Hawaiian shirt"

"we just found the first of three shifters"

they made their way downstairs to confront the creature. "hey buddy, looking for this?" James taunted, holing up the head.

The creature, realizing it's been found, morphs into a Sasquatch-like creature and went on the offensive. It grabbed James and threw him across the room. James aimed his shotgun at the shifter, but it's current form had thick enough skin that the bullets didn't do much. "well, if buckshot won't do it, than what will?" he pondered.

Wendy ran to one of the bathrooms and grabbed the rubbing alcohol and some glass jars. She filled each jar, and ran back into the main room to find James barely dodging the shifter's attacks. She threw the jars onto the shifter. In a demonic tone, it asked "alcohol, really?"

She pulled a matchbox out of the drawer. "purification by fire, actually" she said right before striking a match and throwing it onto the shifter.

It changed forms as it burned, desperately searching for a form that doesn't burn. "smart move" James complemented as he picked up hiss duffel "let's check the basement now, see if we can't find the last two"

"good idea" she replied. Preston watched as they headed for the basement. "that boy looks familiar, but I can't place it" he said.

He pulled a laptop out of his bag and began to do research. He made a shocked expression as he found a picture of James. _So that's who he is_ he thought to himself.


	3. The Basement

"there's not many places to hide in the basement, so if there's one down here, we should be able to find a shifter down here pretty easily" Wendy explained to James as they headed down into the basement.

"good, let's start looking" James replied.

The two spread out, beginning their search. Wendy came across a door and put her ear to it. She heard low, demonic growling coming from the other side. she gestured James over silently. when he was close enough, she pointed to the door while looking back and front from the door to James as if to say "it's in here" to show his acknowledgment, he slightly nodded his head and narrowed his eyes. he then readied his shotgun, resting the wooden grip on his stump. she went to open the door, only to find it locked. "well then" she said, feeling it safe to speak.

"Locked?" James assumed.

"yeah"

Wendy stepped back a few yards, before charging at the door with the intent to ram it down with her shoulder, not noticing James digging in his bag. She hit the door, making little impact, despite the speed she hit it at. "if only we had something to cut the door down with" she said to herself.

"would this work?" James said, showing her a modified chainsaw attached to his stump with several metal couplings and leather straps.

"perfectly"

James revved up the chainsaw and plunged it into the door, cutting the door free from it's hinges. With the door free, he rammed it with his shoulder, landing his eyes on the shifter. "let's go" he taunted.

the shifter leaped at James carelessly, landing itself on the blade of the chainsaw. Green blood sprayed everywhere as the chainsaw cut into it. James threw it off of him and onto the floor in front of him. He stood up and put his foot on the shifter's chest to keep it from moving. "No tienes idea de tu verdadero destino, Prometido Uno. Un ejército de tus pesadillas se levantará, y serás sacado de este mundo" it said.

"go to hell" James said in response, firing his shotgun into the shifter's face.

"Any idea what it said?" Wendy asked.

"nope" he said, sounding as if he didn't care as he made his way back up the steps.

When they reached the top of the steps, they were greeted by Preston, who had a devilish smile on his face. "so, 'James', how did it go?" he said in false curiosity.

James observed his movements. "what are you getting at?" he said in an almost threatening tone.

"This boy has fooled us all" he began to explain to the crowd "his name is not James Holt! Standing before you is Ash Williams! The Tennessee Killer!"


	4. Ash Williams

"so Williams, what was you're plan? To chop us up and bury us in the backyard like you did those kids at the cabin?!"

Preston Northwest had been bombarding James with accusations, but the demon hunter stood his ground. "so what if I am Ash Williams, does that automatically discredit everything I've said, even though everyone can plainly see I was telling the truth?"

"well, killing us when you're done changes things"

"that's not my plan"

"really? Because I seriously doubt that chainsaw is for cutting sandwiches. So what was your plan anyway? Chopping us all up and burying us in the back yard like you did the kids at that cabin"

Out of nowhere, James delivered a punch to Preston's stomach, to which the Northwest retaliated with one to the face, knocking James back. James went for another punch, but was countered with an uppercut to the chin. This blow sent him tumbling back down the basement steps. Preston closed the door behind him, pushing a chair under the doorknob so it can't be opened from the inside. "what the hell! You had no reason to do that!" Wendy screamed, shocked by the preceding events.

"he's a murderer"

"you have no evidence!"

"Really?! I looked up a picture of Ash Williams, and it's one to one save for the scars! And when he attacked me after I called his bluff?! Suspicious, don't you think?!"

"well, of course he attacked you! You were throwing accusations at him constantly!"

"this is a word of advice Corduroy, stay away from him"

Wendy chose not to listen to him. She removed the chair and opened the door. When she made her way down the steps, she found him in the far right corner, gazing longingly at a necklace with a magnifying glass charm. Looking as if he hadn't noticed her, he said: "Scotty, Shelly, Cheryl, and Linda"

"what?"

"those were my friends' names" he looked at her "we went to a cabin, about a year ago"

Wendy knew what this meant, but kept listening regardless. He looked back at the necklace. "we were going to stay the week. We had packed food, books, and other cabin essentials. We found something in the cellar. The Necronomicon Ex Mortis. That fucking book. We found a tape and played it. It had readings of the passages on it. They all died. But they didn't stay dead"

Wendy's eyes widened, not at learning that he was Ash Williams, but at all this other information. "they came back. They came back for me. But they weren't the same. Bodily dismemberment. That was the only way to stop them. I had no choice. I did it, and I lived. But when I got home, I was charged with their murder. I ran. Been running ever since"

Wendy was shocked. There was no way he was lying. His face. His tone. Nothing was suspicious about the story's presentation, which meant one of two things. Either he was crazy, or the story was true. "I'm sorry about what happened to your friends" she said, choosing to believe him.

"you don't think I'm lying?"

"with some of the stuff I've seen, I have no reason not to"

"Thank you. When most would most would write me off as crazy, you didn't"

Ash shoved the necklace back in his pocket and grabbed his shotgun. "let's go find that last son of a bitch and kill it" he said with a determined smirk.

 **Youtube link:**

 **watch?v=PhjKjtdu-_c**


End file.
